The Cebu City council session yesterday was delayed to give way officially to world-renowned Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao. Shortly after Vice Mayor Michael Rama yesterday called the session to order, and the reading of the minutes of the previous session, councilors moved to suspend the house rules and have a one-minute recess to accommodate the council?s unexpected guest.
Pacquiao, here in Cebu to grace the ?Kadaugan sa Mactan III? boxing event in Lapu-Lapu City later in the evening, was already seen at the council even before Rama banged the gavel to start the session at around 3 p.m.
Pacquiao dropped by City Hall supposedly to pay a courtesy call to Mayor Tomas Osme?a but the latter was out at the time, prompting him to go to the session hall instead to meet the legislators.
Every councilor, employees, and even the reporters there eagerly shook hands with Pacquiao, have an autograph and pictures with the Filipino boxing star.
Pacquiao, who was with his wife, was wearing red polo shirt and denims. Councilor Hilario Davide III then asked him to take off his sunglasses so people could take a closer look at him, a matter that the boxer readily obliged.
After all the niceties, the councilors later asked him to deliver to the council a short speech, which he did.
In his speech, Pacquiao proudly admitted that his father is a Cebuano who was born in Pinamungajan town, then he thanked all Cebuanos for welcoming him warmly and supporting him through his fights and rise to fame.
?I thank you all for your support because my success is not only for me but also for all of us and our country; for us to wave our flag proudly in other countries,? he said in mixed Bisaya and Tagalog dialects.
Later, Pacquiao went around again to shake hands with the councilors and the people inside the session hall. He waded his way out through a crowd of employees who greeted him excitedly at the doors and hallways of the building.
